5 ways to know it’s time to take a break
written by Jasmine Irven
We talk a lot about daily self-care; fitting rest into the spaces of your every day. And I think that’s incredibly important for maintaining a sense of sustainable wellbeing; sustainable bliss as we like to say.
Because you’re not waiting for “one day” to come when you have nothing left on your to-do list and can dedicate the whole day to self-care. You’re not telling yourself that you’ll practise self-care once X,Y, and Z are complete.
You’re making it a priority regularly and fitting it in where you can to show yourself that you are worthy and deserving of consistent self-care.
However,
Even with these daily practises and rituals, there are times when we need a little bit longer of a break.
There are times when a 10 minute meditation session or a walk around the block won’t quite give us the sense of nourishment we need.
There are times when we do need a full day or week or month of slowing down, saying no, and revising our priorities and commitments — even when we still have stuff on our to-do list that could get in our way.
So how do we know when we need these longer periods of rest?
Generally we get both physical, mental, and soul signs that we need it. And often our body whispers before it starts to scream — we just haven’t given ourselves enough time to get quiet and listen.
Here are 5 few signs your whole being might be trying to talk to you, and telling you to take a break.
you’re feeling drained, tired or burnt out
Burnout is unfortunately a key pillar of my story. I’m a type A personality, a recovering people pleaser, a Capricorn energy who was always looking externally for validation and acceptance.
And it wasn’t until I experienced burnout and the onset of an autoimmune disorder while working in corporate that I was really able to see the impacts that this way of being was having on my health and wellness.
Here are a few signs of burnout:
Constant fatigue
Poor performance
A feeling of starting to hate your job
Emotional exhaustion and an inability to cope
Headaches, stomachaches, and other physical manifestations of constant stress and fatigue
All of these play into other signs of a need to slow down that we’ll talk about later, but in general if you are feeling these symptoms, it’s a sign that you’ve likely been pushing yourself too hard.
Consider:
How many hours a day have you been working recently?
How much sleep have you been getting?
What kind of pressure to perform have you been facing?
What things/ projects/ life events do you currently have “on your plate” that you’re trying to manage?
Journaling on some of these questions can help to start to put some perspective around if you’ve been asking too much of yourself and your body.
you’re feeling unmotivated about something you once were excited about
Motivation is often fleeting, which is why you’ll hear more about self-discipline from us. However, if you started something and in the beginning it brought you joy and excitement and now you’re feeling unmotivated and can’t bring yourself to make progress or spend time on it, you may need a break from it.
Often times we will push ourselves too hard to accomplish things or stick to timelines and schedules that aren’t sustainable and we run ourselves into the ground.
Rather than trying to continue to “push through” all the time when you’re feeling this way, give yourself some space to rest. Then, when you’re feeling more replenished consider asking yourself honestly:
Are you still excited about _____ or has it run its course?
Is _____ aligned with your values and the bigger vision you had for your life or is it time for a shift or pivot?
You generally can’t ask yourself these questions when you’re already lacking motivation and drive, but after you’ve given yourself space and time to rest you’ll likely have more clarity and can make the shifts you need to.
you’re feeling stressed, anxious or overwhelmed
Hustle culture is very much the norm in our lives today, and because of that; when we have so much on our minds and our to-do lists, we’re constantly exposing ourselves to low grade levels of stress.
And while stress isn’t necessarily a bad thing and we actually need stress in times of real crisis to activate our fight flight freeze response and help us to properly respond to the situation, a lot of our stress nowadays isn’t life threatening.
Instead it’s worrying about something that happened earlier today that we keep replaying in our heads, or it’s the constant email notifications that have us on high alert. And it’s quite hard to escape from because it’s not in these isolated incidents.
When we start to notice that stress physically, mentally and emotionally, it’s a sign we need to slow down and take time to rest. We need to make time to get quiet, to be still and not constantly be doing.
And when we do so, we’re able to give our bodies and our minds a bit of a break; we’re able to calm our nervous system and move our body into a state of rest and digest that’s nurturing and very necessary for our whole being.
you’re feeling unfulfilled
Rather than aiming for happiness which is often fleeting, I resonate more with the world fulfillment. Because I know that even if I wasn’t able to make huge progress one day, or experience something big and incredible and exciting, that overall I am fulfilled because I am working towards something that excites me and is aligned with the bigger vision I have for my life.
And all the little things I do each day from my coffee to a walk outside to a networking call to a meditation session allow me to bask in mini moments of fulfilment.
So, if you’re feeling unfulfilled in your day-to-day, I would consider it a sign that a longer period of rest and reflection is needed.
Consider what the bigger vision for your life looks like. How does how you’re spending your days now compare to that vision? You don’t need to change everything at once (or even at all!), but what you do need is a little clarity and space to see if shifts do need to be made.
you’re having trouble concentrating or focusing
We spend far too much time on our devices, trying to check 15 things a day off of a to-do list and setting unrealistic goals for ourselves. Yes, we can be ambitious and lean into the vision we have for our lives but we also need to have gratitude and appreciation for where we’re at.
How do we do that? By taking time to look at what we’ve already accomplished, and giving ourselves small wins and realistic progress points to aim for every day.
Otherwise, we end up having trouble concentrating and focusing because there are a million and one other things we “could be” doing. Our focus is split and it’s hard to make progress in any one direction.
This plays into feelings of overwhelm, and ultimately means we need some rest.
We need time away to focus on something other than work. We need time to simply be rather than do. We need time to clear our minds. To shut off screens and disconnect from the online world for a bit so that we can generate new ideas, gain a new perspective, and find inspiration.
final thoughts
Consider what the warning signs or feelings are that indicate to you that you need some extended rest. How do they manifest in your body and in your life?
How often are you ignoring these warning signs until they build up and are so loud you can’t?
How can you start to listen a little more intently, a little earlier on?
Sustainable Bliss Collective endorses products & brands we genuinely love and support. If you end up making a purchase through one of our affiliate links, it will not cost you anything but we may earn a commission. Learn more here.
share this on Pinterest!
about the author
Hey there! I’m Jasmine, founder of the Sustainable Bliss Collective, a Certified Meditation Teacher, and lover of all things self-care, slow-living, and personal development.
I believe that ambition and self-care can coexist, and as such I hope to encourage and inspire you to take care of yourself, breathe deeply, connect with who you are, manifest your dreams, enjoy the blissful moments of each day, and make an impact in this beautiful world we call home.
Connect with me on Instagram here!
